The Price of Sovereignty
by giantzacface
Summary: Troy and Sharpay are from opposite worlds, Troy's in the business world, Sharpay's a struggling actress. Will the clashing of their worlds end in happiness or tears? Summary inside. Troypay
1. A Perfect Day

**Summary: This is not quite classic fanfic. All the characters are the same, have similar backgrounds, maybe similar personalities?, but they didn't go to High School together or anything like that. Troy and Sharpay come from opposite worlds, Troy has his MBA (sorry, not NBA), Sharpay is a struggling actress, they seem like an unlikely pair. This story is very focused on the ever changing relationship that Troy and Sharpay have developed and how their separate worlds clash. But something always pulls them back together.**

**This first chapter starts out when they are still relatively young, Troy's just out of grad school so I'd say about 26, and their relationship is pretty new.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, hardly even the plot this time...**

* * *

A Perfect Day

BOOM!

Sharpay was jerked awake with the sound of thunder clashing. Scrunching her eyes shut and placing a hand on her already pounding forehead, she sat up and waited for her queasiness to dissipate. It didn't go completely, but it did lessen enough for her to glance over to her bedside clock and see that she had ten minutes before she absolutely had to get up. Flopping back down, Sharpay sighed and listened to the angry splattering of rain beating against her window. _'I drank way too much last night'_ she humorlessly mused as another wave of nausea washed over her body.

Sharpay lay there, trying to piece together the previous night. It had started at one of those abhorrent dinner parties that Troy always dragged her to. As number two on the Forbes "up and coming" list for top management, Troy had an infinite number of people to impress and parties to attend. He often enlisted Sharpay's help at these functions to win over the wives of the higher-ups. Sharpay couldn't stand those people.

After the dinner party, she and Troy had returned to her apartment where they partook in a little party of their own. Still lying in bed, Sharpay smiled blissfully to herself as she slowly replayed the previous night in her mind.

_Sharpay and Troy burst through Sharpay's apartment door, both passionately kissing the other as the door slammed closed without notice. The couple drunkenly stumbled through the kitchen, leaving a trail of clothing in their wake as they languidly made their way to the tiny bedroom, each furiously clinging to the other as though they couldn't quite figure out what felt right._

_They finally reach the bedroom where the backs of Sharpay's knees knocked against the edge of the bed, effectively throwing them both off balance, causing them to fall gracelessly onto the mattress. Giggling, Sharpay sat up and readjusted her position to be nearer the headboard. Troy rolled onto his side and faced Sharpay with a content grin lighting up his features. Seeing that grin, Sharpay just couldn't help herself. She leaned down and softly whispered "I love you" into Troy's mouth, following her statement with a sweet, chaste kiss. This sudden change in tenor seemed to sober Troy. Pulling himself up onto his elbows, he fixed Sharpay with an intent gaze and watched as she returned his look with an affectionate smile. Reaching up, Troy placed his hand behind Sharpay's neck and gently pulled her face back down to meet with his._

Just as she was getting to the good part, her thoughts were interrupted with the realization that Troy wasn't currently in her apartment. Of course, this wasn't the first time she'd woken up to find that he had already left for work, but he usually left her a note, at least to say when he'd be home. Sharpay sat up and gave her room a once over in case she had missed it in her hung over, still half asleep haze, earlier. Nope. No note. This small slip on his part slightly perturbed her. It wasn't like him to not say good-bye.

Sharpay shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of these negative thoughts. Instead, she decided her day would not be able to begin if she didn't drink some coffee and soon. Sharpay eased herself out of bed and headed into her kitchen, pausing to grab hold of her churning stomach and to give her vision a chance to clear. _'I drank WAY too much last night'_

As she waited for her coffee maker to finish spitting out her coffee, she decided a shower would help her feel better. She staggered her pained body into her bathroom, along they way spotting the stack of bills that had been sitting on her counter for a week. _'I have to remember to pay those today' _she thought as she stepped into her bathroom. Sharpay turned the shower water on and waited for it to get steamy. It didn't take long for her small bathroom to fog up, which indicated to her that her water was ready. Slowly, Sharpay eased her aching muscles into the heavy torrent. She tried to relax but all the while her mind kept wandering towards her disapproving thoughts involving Troy's seeming lack of consideration.

What Sharpay couldn't hear while she was secretly airing her relationship concerns to her bar of soap, was her phone ringing in her bedroom.

Ring

'_Its just worrisome, that he didn't wake me to say good bye. He _always_ says good bye,' _she griped to her shampoo bottle.

Ring

'_Alright, maybe he was just in a hurry this morning,'_ she countered as the stream of water thoroughly rinsed out her conditioner.

Ring

'_Honestly, why does it bother me this much? I only offered my entire self to him last night, and what do I get in return? Not even a filthy thank you!'_

Beep

Finally, the answering machine picked up.

"Morning Shar." Troy's voice filled the empty room. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you before I left this morning but you looked so peaceful lying there. I couldn't bring myself to disturb you. I just wanted to let you know that I'll have to work a little late tonight but we're still on for drinks at Chelli's, right? I hope. Anyway, if I don't hear from you, I'll meet you there. I have to get back to work but have a good day. I love you."

Still grumbling, Sharpay wrapped herself in her towel and stepped into her room in order to finish getting ready for work. Should she curl her hair today or just blow it out? Glancing over at her clock to see what she had time for, she was horrified to learn that she had misread the time earlier. She wasn't ten minutes early, was running a whole hour late!

"Shit! I can not afford to be late again!"

In a complete panic, she tore around her room, throwing on the first item of clothing her hands could find as she precariously pointed her hair dryer in her heads general direction. That'll have to do. She threw on her coat, grabbed her keys and sprinted down the hallway of her apartment building, not even stopping long enough to lock her door.

As she stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of her building, she was immediately drenched from the splash of a passing car. _'So much for that shower'_ she thought, but she didn't have time to dwell. Still running, she looked ahead toward her bus stop. As was her current stream of luck, the bus was already idled as its passengers ambled on and off.

"Wait!" She yelled hoping another commuter would hear her and pass the message along to the driver. "Stop!" But she was too late. She was not quite at the stop when the bus eased out onto the road and steadily drove away.

"DAMN it!" The next bus wasn't due for another twenty minutes. She didn't have twenty minutes! She would have to walk. Muttering angrily to herself, she put her head down and started on her way, the whole while cursing herself for not grabbing a jacket with a hood.

* * *

It was almost thirty minutes later that a sopping wet Sharpay was trying to slink inconspicuously to her desk. She had a part-time day job as the assistant to the assistant to the regional manager of an unknown publishing company. She hated it, but until she caught her big break as an actress, she needed something to pay the bills. 

"Afternoon, Sharpay." The assistant to the regional manager, Taylor, said in a patronizing tone. Sharpay was sure patronizing was the only tone Taylor could speak in.

"Hello Taylor," Sharpay replied with a scowl as she took off her coat and placed it on the back of her desk chair.

Taylor scoffed, "Is that how you plan on holding your job?"

"Huh?" Sharpay asked, confused. She looked down to where Taylor seemed to be referring and was instantly mortified. In her mad rush to leave the apartment, she hadn't realized that she'd put on a thin, white blouse (now soaked) over a black bra (now visible). Humiliated, Sharpay promptly threw her coat back on and closed her eyes, praying that this would all turn out to be a dream. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes back up, all she saw was Taylor still giving her that condescending glare.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom," Sharpay quickly excused herself as she ran to the nearest restroom. Exhaling heavily, Sharpay turned on the hand dryer and sat under it, allowing the warm air to lull her into contemplation. _'I hate my job'._

When she finally returned to her desk, displaying as much confidence and integrity that she could gather, she expected her phone lines to be tied up from her absence. Looking down, she was surprised to see every line free.

"Sharpay, I've taken you off phones," Mr. Fulton, her boss, said to her as he poked his head through his office doorway. "I wanted to be sure to get a few, today."

"How about you handle pouring the coffee? You could probably use the practice," Taylor said with a sneer.

'_I_ hate _my job.'_

* * *

The rest of Sharpay's day was spent running from desk to desk, refilling coffee cup after coffee cup. At least she didn't have to look at Taylor's face for the rest of the day. It was in this manner that the last few hours of her work day were gradually whiled away. Had it been any other day, she would have been at her desk to witness the following exchange. As it was, she had herself locked away in the break room, hiding from her coworkers. 

"Is there a Sharpay Evans here?" a young messenger asked as he stepped off of the elevators and into the publishing company's realm. He was holding a bouquet of white lily's in his right hand as he read from a piece of paper in his left.

At this very moment, Sharpay was watching through the glass door of the break room, but she could only hear muffled sound, instead of the words being spoken.

"I can give those to her," Taylor said brightly to the messenger with her hand stretched out, ready to receive the flowers.

The messenger approached Taylor's desk, located to the left of the elevators, and handed her the bouquet. "I just need you to sign this receipt," he said as he placed the piece of paper in front of her. She quickly signed and handed it back with a smile and wished the messenger a nice day. Looking at the card that accompanied the lilies, Taylor read "Dear Sharpay, I passed these flowers on my lunch break. They reminded me of you. Hope your having a wonderful day. I'll see you tonight. Love, Troy".

"Ha! Wonderful day, my ass!" Taylor muttered as she threw the note in her trash can and proceeded to display the flowers on her desk as her own.

'_I wish Troy would send _me_ flowers, sometime,'_ Sharpay thought as she turned away from the door and poured herself another cup of coffee. She could feel her headache returning in full force.

* * *

The end of the day was slowly approaching. Sharpay was sitting on a toilet seat, by herself, in the women's restroom, counting down the minutes. Looking at her watch she saw that it was three minutes to five. She knew most everybody in the office would be gone, or about to leave, by now. That was good enough, she figured. She left her hiding place and slowly approached her desk, hoping that Taylor wouldn't say anything to her. She picked up her coat, which had been left on the back of her chair, and put it on. She was about to grab her purse and leave when she heard the bark of her bosses voice directed toward her. 

"I need you to do some filing for me before you leave."

"Oh, but sir, It's already five and I have to get clear across town to meet my boyfriend. Can I just do it in the morning?" Sharpay pleaded in an attempt to talk her way out of this menial task.

"I _would_ let you do it in the morning, but I don't know if you can actually arrive here in the morning." He replied sardonically. "Get it done. Now."

Sharpay slumped her shoulders and watched Mr. Fulton leave the office. So close! With a groan, she took her coat off again, and walked into her boss's office to grab the stack of papers left for her to file.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Sharpay burst through the doorway at Chelli's bar. She looked around hoping Troy would be there. She wasn't even sure if he remembered their plans. Looking into a private corner of the bar, she found him sitting at a small booth, talking on his phone. 

As she approached, he looked up and saw her arrival. With a smile, he said his good bye into the phone and stood to greet her. Before any words were spoken, Troy wrapped his strong arms around Sharpay in a warm, comforting hug.

"Hi." He whispered into her ear.

"Hi." She replied, happily returning the hug.

Still holding on to her hips, Troy finally pulled out of the hug. With a contemplative expression, he smile and looked deep into her eyes, softly asking, "How was your day?" A simple question and yet, he asked it was such sincerity; such benevolence.

Looking away, Sharpay took a moment to think it over. She'd woken up hung over and just now realized that she'd forgotten to pay her bills. She'd missed the bus and had gotten drenched on her way to work; late. While there, everybody had treated her like shit, and she couldn't help but to think they all expected her to be sacked any day. About to answer, Sharpay returned her gaze to Troy's eyes and faltered. Without him needing to say a word, she could see all his humor and kindness. She could sense his fiery passion, so brilliantly balanced by his serene gentleness. But most of all, she could see his love.

Suddenly, all her anger and frustration simply disappeared. With a gentle smile, she replied, "Perfect. My day was perfect." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a simple, tender kiss.

**

* * *

So, I was out running the other day when my I-pod played a song I hadn't heard in a long time. I had it on shuffle, so I was encountering a lot of random stuff that day. Anyway, after hearing that song I thought, **_**'I haven't heard this album since middle school'**_**. So, I decided to flip to that album and I finished my run listening to all this old music. Anyway, long story short, I ended up picturing the scenarios of each song as a Troypay and I thought, **_**'I wonder...'**_**. So, I went through all the songs, ordered them in a way that worked, and tada! Inspiration for a new story!**

**Also, I should just warn you outright, this is not going to be all sunshine and flowers. Probably rather depressing, if the tone of the album has anything to say about it. **

**Please don't hate me for it! **

**But if you do, Review! . . . And if you don't, still Review!**


	2. Let Me Go

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical**

* * *

Let Me Go

One Year Later...

Sharpay burst through the unlocked door in a rush of excitement, already mid sentence. "–absolutely amazing. I'm certain I got the part!"

"Where in God's name have you been?" Troy interrupted, completely disregarding both her words and her volatile behavior. He was standing in his kitchen with an angry glare accenting his rigid, anxious posture.

Sharpay looked over in annoyance and saw that Troy was dressed in his formal tux with a red carnation tucked into the button hole. _'Uh oh,'_ she thought, quickly glancing at the clock.

"I laid on the bed what I want you to wear. Be ready in fifteen minutes. I'm going to go start the car." Troy said stiffly as he stepped toward the door, his glower never leaving his face. He opened the door but snapped his head back around as his next thought struck him, "Oh, and do something about your hair." And then he was gone.

Instinctively reaching up to feel her hair, Sharpay growled in disgust and dragged herself back to Troy's bedroom. Tonight was another dinner party that she was supposed to charm at. Every dinner party proves to be worse than the last. All the other couples are 'happily' married and well on their way to creating families, and they certainly don't mind reminding Sharpay about what her biological clock was already telling her.

Sharpay looked at her reflection in the full length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. The dress did look great on her, there was no denying that. Sharpay just couldn't stand how controlling Troy becomes whenever he's around his work buddies.

'_Now,'_ Sharpay thought with an unhappy sigh, _'What to do with this hair.'_ Looking at the dresser, Sharpay saw an assortment of hairclips neatly laid in a row. They were all the same shade of silver. The same silver that her perfect dress is trimmed in. _'He really does think of everything.'_ But, instead of feeling proud, she just felt irritated. Arbitrarily picking a clip, Sharpay twisted her hair into a simple knot and quickly fastened it to her head. Then, grabbing the shawl and purse that was thoughtfully filled with any possible necessities, she swiftly hobbled in her four inch heals through the apartment and out the front door.

* * *

As Sharpay approached Troy's car in the parking garage, he stepped out and gave her a small smile before running around the car and opening the passenger door. "That dress looks beautiful on you." He said before slamming the door closed. Sharpay didn't even pretend to appreciate the compliment. She knew it was more directed toward his dress buying abilities than anything else. 

The drive to Troy's bosses house was a quiet one. Neither he nor Sharpay felt the need to speak until they pulled into the driveway. Putting the car into park, Troy looked over at Sharpay and started, "Before we go in, I just wanted to say –" but then he faltered. Sharpay looked up expectantly as Troy tried to work out his thoughts.

'_This is it'_ She thought happily, a smile finally starting to reappear on her face. _'This is when he apologizes for being so controlling and explains that its because his coworkers make him so nervous that he can't act like himself. This is where he tells me that I'm the only one that knows the real Troy and he'll never treat me like a trophy-girlfriend again.'_

"I just wanted to say, can you not talk about your career choice so much? It's just, my boss wouldn't really appreciate your struggle to become an actress. If anything, how about you talk about your childhood? It would be good to remind my boss that I'm dating the daughter of Vance Evans. Disregarding the fact that you two haven't spoken in years, of course." He implored, adding the last part more as an afterthought.

Sharpays face immediately fell. "Sure" she replied, emotionless.

"Great," Troy enthused with a grin. Leaning over, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before opening his door and jumping out of the car.

Taking a deep, calming breath Sharpay placed a smile on her face and followed Troy out of the car and to the front door.

* * *

Sitting at the table, Sharpay was nearly bored to tears. The meal had finished over an hour ago, but everybody stayed to chat. The men had retired to the study for 'shop talk' which meant that they were going to get drunk. The woman remained at the servant-cleared table to drink coffee and talk about how successful their husbands were. 

Sharpay, of course, was not married to Troy, harboring two responses from the three other women. Martha treated her contemptuously for being too flighty and clearly unwilling to marry. Sharpay tried to point out that Troy had never asked but she always seemed to be interrupted before she could ever finish the statement. The other two women treated her pityingly because of her apparent inability to manipulate Troy into proposing.

"Look at this stunning tennis bracelet that Jason gave me for our anniversary," Kelsi said with conceit as she showed off her very expensive diamond bracelet.

"Oh honey," Martha gasped. "How did you ever get him to buy that for you? You didn't do what we swore we would never do, did you?"

Sharpay didn't know what they had sworn not to do, but she had a feeling it wasn't anything nearly as bad as what her gutter ball mind was coming up with.

"Oh Martha, of course not," Kelsi laughed. She switched to a conspiratorial tone and continued "I'm saving that for the next time he wants his parents to stay with us." The three woman burst into laughter. Sharpay rolled her eyes but quickly substituted that with an expression of shocked amusement when she saw Kelsi watching her.

"So, Sharpay," Kelsi mused with an evil gleam in her eye. "You just had a birthday, didn't you?" Sharpay nodded, apprehension clouding her thoughts. "What did Troy get for you?"

"Oh, um, well," Sharpay racked her brain, trying to remember what Troy had done for her birthday.

* * *

"_Hey Shar, I am really sorry. I know we had plans tonight, but I'm just swamped here at the office. I'm going to be home pretty late." Troy said over the phone to Sharpay._

_Sharpay was sitting on her couch eating a rice cake because she didn't want to spoil her appetite. She was disappointed upon hearing this but then it dawned on her – he must be planning to surprise her with something huge and is using work as a cover. Classic Troy. _

_Suppressing her grin, Sharpay replied with a meek "Don't worry about it, sweetie. It's no big."_

_Troy let out a huge sigh, "Great! Don't wait up for me." And without even saying goodbye he hung up._

_Sharpay looked at the receiver slightly taken aback before pushing the doubts aside and tossing the phone onto the chair next to her. Turning the TV on, Sharpay tuned the volume down and sat there listening to any sound coming from the hall. Every time she thought she'd heard somebody she would perk up and turn the volume of the TV back up so that it didn't look like she was expecting them. It never turned out to be anybody._

_Eventually she fell asleep. She didn't wake until Troy finally arrived home. She heard him fiddling unsuccessfully with his key in the lock. This was followed by a burst of laughter. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning. Finally, he got the key to work. The door swung open with his hand still attached to the knob, causing him to stumble into the room after it. Putting his finger to his lip he turned to the door and dramatically shushed it just before he slammed it closed._

"_Troy!" Sharpay exclaimed, sitting up and placing her magazine on the coffee table. She had fallen asleep with it on her stomach as she was in the middle of reading it._

"_SHARPIE!" Troy greeted her with open arms and a wide grin. All the lights in the room were off, leaving everything to be illuminated by the soft glow of the muted TV._

"_My God, Troy, how much have you been drinking?" Sharpay exclaimed as she approached him. She never got an answer. Just as she stepped toward him, he leaned over and vomited all over her feet._

_The rest of Sharpays night was spent administering aid to a very drunk Troy. Which was only to be followed by a severe argument the next morning with a very hung over Troy._

* * *

"You know, Troy and I agreed to keep our birthdays simple. We just spent a quiet evening together." Sharpay lied. 

"Oh," Kelsi said, fixing her with a pitying look. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"I wasn't," Sharpay defended, but the other women didn't seem to believe the insistence in her voice. Sharpay wasn't too sure she believed it, herself.

"Maybe you should have told him what you wanted him to get you," Martha lectured. "The poor boy isn't a mind reader, you know. Besides, he probably didn't want to spend money on someone who is such a flight risk. Men only buy expensive gifts for women who are willing to commit."

"He hasn't even asked –"

"Are you on the pill?" Jackie, the third previously silent woman asked abruptly.

"Excuse me?" Sharpay asked, taken aback and expecting the other two women to be even more scandalized. Unfortunately, Sharpay was just faced with six probing eyes. "Well, yeah." She finally answered.

"You should stop taking them. But don't tell Troy! You should get pregnant. That way, he'll have no choice but to marry you. Sure it's low, but honey, you are clearly doing something wrong here. Zeke and I got engaged after six months, whereas you and Troy are working on your second year. I mean, what are you doing?"

Speechless, Sharpay stared at the three women for a couple seconds. Without a word of response, she stood up and grabbed the champagne bottle located at the other end of the table. Raising the bottle to her mouth, she prepared for a long, soothing drink of alcohol but before anything touched her lips, the bottle was yanked out of her hand.

"Sharpay! Sweetie, no more champagne for you. You know how you get." Troy said with a wink toward the other women. They each returned a flirting smile without attempting to hide it from Sharpay. Sharpay just rolled her eyes and focused her attention on the tiki warrior mask that was mounted on the near wall.

"Well, lady's, I'm afraid I have to tear Sharpay away from your delightful company." Troy said handing Sharpay her shawl.

"Oh, you're leaving already?" Kelsi crooned, standing up and stepping closer to Troy. Placing her hand on his lower back, she said "But you and I haven't even had a chance to catch up, Troysie."

Troy gave her an uncomfortable smile between his quick glances in Sharpays direction. He removed her hand as he replied "I'm sorry, Kelsi. We had an excellent time tonight. But you know how it is, early mornings and such."

"Yes, I understand. Well, let me walk you to the door." She conceded. As she stepped away from Troy she conspicuously turned and gave Sharpay an evocative glare. Sharpay was left shocked by the behavior she'd just witnessed.

* * *

The drive back to Troy's apartment was just as silent as the ride to the party. Sharpay was still digesting everything that had happened at the party. It wasn't until they were both safely in Troy's apartment that everything seemed to spill out. Sharpay felt as though that dinner party had been the final force to push her metaphorical button. 

Normally, Sharpay liked to stay closed lipped about her feelings and instead she'd find a way to get past it. But as soon as that door closed, she could not find a way to stop her voice from speaking. She covered everything from his domineering attitude toward her to that last exchange with Kelsi. She told him how angry she was that he forgot her birthday, that she hated how he even tried to control her voice and most of all she hated those damn dinner parties.

Three hours quickly passed. Some of the time was spent with so much yelling, it was a wonder either heard a word from each other. China plates and glass vases were thrown across the apartment and clothing was gathered and thrown into a pile. When all the aggression was released, they both calmed down enough to sit across from each other at the kitchen table, amidst the broken glass and random belongings. A wine bottle readily passed between the two as they discussed the issues that were really causing their strong emotions. Finally, Sharpay succeeded in convincing Troy of what she hadn't even realized she'd wanted this whole time.

Somewhere in there was a second outburst of yelling and throwing, and before Sharpay knew what had happened she was standing at the doorway with a bag of as much of her stuff as she could find. Troy downed the last of his glass of wine and then slowly approached her at the door. Giving her a hug, he whispered into her ear his goodbye and then opened the door. Stepping into the hallway, Sharpay turned around to see through teary eyes as the door click shut.

**

* * *

Well, there it is. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I wrote it really quickly, but I'd finally found a short block of time and I knew I had to get something out. **

**Please, tell me what you think**


	3. The Door

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or its characters**

* * *

The Door

One Week Later...

Sharpay wearily opened her eyes at the sound of her phone alarm repugnantly buzzing. She was lying on her beat up old couch that had previously belonged to her grandmother before Sharpay had been graciously given all of that woman's ancient, decaying furniture. The couch was in the worst shape with holes along the back and foam poking through as well as a spring which had recently burst free beneath the second cushion. Moaning, Sharpay rubbed her neck as she stiffly sat up. That couch was not comfortable. Standing, she glanced over to her bedroom door that she had closed tightly shut and sighed, overcome by her emotions.

It had been a week since the breakup but Sharpay was still in the thick of getting over the whole ordeal. When she had returned home on that awful night she had taken one look around her room and immediately lost any control she'd maintained over her tears. Her bedroom did nothing to help her escape her mind. If anything, it perpetuated any thought of Troy seeing as how he had left his mark everywhere. His shirt was left draped over her chair near the vanity table that he had bought for her. The book that he was in the middle of reading was left on her dresser, the page he had left off on held in place by her hair brush.

Sharpay saw that her bed sheets were left messy and crumpled. Falling to her knees at the foot of the bed, Sharpay took three deep breaths and tried to slow her crying. As she sat there she realized that the scent of Troy's cologne was still lingering in the fabric.

Sharpay knew that she was as much to blame for the breakup as Troy was. She had even suggested it, though she hadn't thought he'd be so quick to agree. Despite that fact, she was not ready to let go. Leaving her room untouched, Sharpay had determinedly shut her door and refused to go back in for a week. She knew it was ridiculous, but she just had this irrational fear of forgetting all the good memories once she packed Troy's things away and effectively cleaned him from her life.

'_Just go in,'_ she firmly ordered herself, still watching the door as if it could open on its own. Taking the four steps it took to reach her bedroom door, Sharpay grasped the handle tightly in her hand as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _'Any time now...'_

She was still in that position when a loud knock on her front door startled her, causing her to jump away from the bedroom door, again.

'_Maybe tomorrow,' _she thought sadly as she patted down her hair before seeing who had knocked.

* * *

Troy resignedly dragged himself into his office. He was the first to arrive, as he had been all week. Flicking the lights on, he sank into his desk chair and dropped his head into his hands in defeat. He felt miserable. He hadn't been able to sleep again and he was afraid his work was starting to show it.

He sat there a while longer thinking about Sharpay. She had been invading his thoughts at every waking moment. He missed her, and he was angry with himself. He had been spending the past week of restless nights reflecting on their relationship. During that final argument he had heard the words that Sharpay had spoken but he hadn't understood the point that she was trying to make. Now that he'd had time to ruminate over their relationship, he was beginning to understand. And with that understanding came more misery. He had lost her and it was completely his fault.

"Yo, Troy!" Troy was startled out of his meditation by the voice of his long-time best friend, Chad Danforth. Chad had been Troy's roommate in college. They did everything together. They had participated on the same sports teams, they were accepted by the same grad school, and now they worked in the same office.

Raising his head, Troy focused his tired eyes on Chad in questioning.

"Boss-man wants to talk to you."

Troy's stomach flipped. Had his work suffered enough to get him fired? With drooping shoulders, Troy slowly shuffled out of his office and down the hallway toward the heavy wood door that separated the boss's office from the rest of the floor. With a deep breath, Troy raised his fist and confidently knocked on the door.

* * *

Putting on a large, though ultimately fake, smile Sharpay stepped off of the elevator and approached her desk. _'God, I hate my job'_.

"Morning Taylor," she smiled sweetly at her coworker.

With a grimace, Taylor returned the greeting before putting the phone back to her ear and continuing her conversation about the different types of shampoo.

Picking up her own phone, Sharpay decided she was in desperate need of brotherly comfort. Dialing her brothers' phone number, she absentmindedly counted the number of rings it took for him to answer.

"How many?" came Ryan's voice on the other line.

"Four," she responded with the first real smile in a week.

"Not bad, considering I dropped the phone," he said with a chuckle. "So what's wrong? You never call me from work!"

Sharpay sighed. She should've known he'd pick up on her mood. They'd always been able to read each other unnaturally accurately, even considering how little contact they actually had these days. Unable to hold it in, Sharpay told Ryan the entire story, only pausing once to make sure Taylor wasn't listening in.

"Oh, Pay!" Ryan exclaimed sympathetically. "Why didn't you call me sooner? I would have been there to help you through this. A girl can't buy her own breakup ice-cream and eat it too!"

Sharpay gave a slight giggle at his lame attempt at a joke but she quickly sobered as more memories overtook her thoughts.

Sensing that his joke hadn't worked, Ryan continued in a more serious tone. "Pay, I just want you to know, I am so proud of you! I know how hard that must have been but you did absolutely the right thing. You were miserable with how he was treating you and you deserve much better than that. And, hey, look on the bright side – you will never have to go to one of those insufferable dinner parties ever again!"

Sharpay released a genuine giggle at that comment. That certainly was a bright side to this situation. The only bright side, but a bright side none the less.

"Shar?" Ryan interrupted her thoughts after a brief silence between the two. "You know you're going to have to clean up his stuff at some point. The fantasy has to end."

* * *

Pushing the heavy door open, Troy peaked through a crack before allowing his entire body to enter the foreboding bureau. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Mr. Matsui looked up from the memo he was reading and fixed Troy with a stern gaze. "I've noticed you've been having a hard time lately, Troy," he began.

Afraid of where this was leading, Troy quickly interrupted in order to validly justify his poor performance. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far before Mr. Matsui raised his hand, gesturing for Troy's silence. Troy reluctantly obliged, too afraid of the consequences if he didn't.

"As I was saying," Mr. Matsui began again, "You seem to be down lately. And, though my heavy office door and general age gap may fool most of you, I do hear things. Now, what I heard about you and what I believe to be the cause of your work quality decline has something to do with a certain _ex_-girlfriend. Am I right to assume so?"

Still unsure as to where this conversation was leading them, Troy had no choice but to answer his boss with a curt nod.

Satisfied, Mr. Matsui continued on with his verbiage. "Right. Well, I am no stranger to the painful world of heartbreak. Of course, I also can't have you losing me any accounts because of it. Therefore, I have come up with a solution that I believe will work out swimmingly. As you know, one of our leading sister corporations is located in New York City. They are currently going through a time of great growth, which is wonderful news, but they need somebody who knows the business front and back to help them hire the correct people and to keep them moving in the right direction. I would like you, Troy, to be that person. This is a great responsibility and I will only send you if I feel you will be completely focused on the task at hand. But, I believe, once removed from any local reminders of this intrusive breakup that your mind will again be free to devote entirely to your work. Think about it, you have until tomorrow to decide."

Stunned by this offer, Troy didn't even move at Mr. Matsui's dismissal. Almost as though he were in a trance, Troy immediately responded, "Yes. Absolutely, yes."

Brows furrowed, Mr. Matsui looked at Troy quizzically. "Are you sure? Because, to be completely honest, I thought you would turn down my offer."

"Yes." Troy repeated. "Yes, I am sure."

Mr. Matsui nodded and again dismissed Troy who, this time, responded to the request and returned to his office. Sitting at his desk, Troy repeated in his head what had just happened. He hadn't even thought over the offer or considered any of the logistics that he would have to work out with this move. He just knew that the easiest way out of his current situation was to move all the way across the country. And he had just accepted that offer.

* * *

Another Week Later...

Entering her apartment after another long day of work, Sharpay looked intently at her closed bedroom door. _'Just go in,'_ she said to herself for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Closing the front door, she slowly approached the arduous threshold that she was having so much trouble crossing. Reaching down, she grasped the handle with her eyes closed and her breath held. _'Do it!'_

Still holding her breath, she was startled away from the door by a loud knock on, once again, her front door. Scrunching her nose, she cursed under her breath before turning to answer the knock.

Forgoing the peephole, Sharpay grasped the handle and easily threw it open to greet whoever was on the other side. _'How come that was so easy?'_ Unfortunately, this was not someone she wished to see.

Face falling, Sharpay crossed her arms over her chest and adopted a defensive pose. "What do you want, Chad?" she asked angrily.

Chad gave her a sad smile and pushed his way through the frame. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time, I'm just here to drop off this box. It's your leftover stuff." He explained apologetically as he placed the box on her kitchen table.

"Oh," Sharpay replied, stunned. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Also, do you by any chance have Troy's stuff rounded up?" Chad asked abrasively.

Blanching at the sound of Troy's name, Sharpay lowered her gaze guiltily to the floor and quietly replied, "No, not yet."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two as Sharpay kept her gaze on the ground and Chad tried to think of something to say. Softening, he gave up on declaring anything profound and instead placed his hand on her shoulder as he gently said, "This is tearing him up, too." Sharpay raised her eyes to meet Chad's again, this time with a little hope flickering through them before remembering that this whole situation was her fault. Just because it hurt him too, didn't mean that he was going to try to win her back. Forcing a smile on her face, Sharpay nodded in response to Chad's statement.

Without needing to say more, Chad quietly left the apartment with Sharpay pensively closing the door behind him.

* * *

Stepping off of the tarmac, Troy readjusted his grip on his briefcase as he scanned the large room full of waiting relatives', friends and business associates. This was the first time he had ever been to New York City. He had gone on business trips in the past but they were always to Los Angeles, a city he had already been familiar with due to its relatively close proximity to Albuquerque.

Seeing his name printed on a small sheet of notebook paper, Troy approached the woman holding it up. Giving her a small smile he couldn't help but to notice just how pretty she was, immediately having that thought shoved aside as an intense wave of guilt washed over him. _'I'm single!'_ he reminded himself, _'I'm allowed to notice prettiness again.'_ Unfortunately, his head and his heart were still at odds and the guilt refused to cease.

"Troy Bolton?" The woman asked, as Troy took the last couple steps toward this woman.

"That's me," he replied brashly. "And you must be Gabriella Montez, my new favorite co-worker." He flashed a charming smile as he stuck out his hand in a business-like gesture of greeting

* * *

Closing the door after Chad, Sharpay turned around and leaned her back against it as she looked around, deep in thought. Her apartment looked the same as it always had. It was a little messier, considering parts of her bedroom had moved out there, but for the most part it was unchanged. Yet it felt empty.

Shifting her gaze to the adjoining kitchen, Sharpay's eyes fell onto the box of her stuff that Chad had just brought in. This was all the stuff that she had never expected to see back in her apartment. Stepping towards it, Sharpay nervously peered inside. Mostly, it was clothing that she had left at Troy's place for when she spent the night. There were a couple CD's and some duplicates of any necessities that needed a place in both apartments.

With a sudden and slightly frightening burst of anger, Sharpay picked up the box and heaved it with an almighty grunt at the door that it had just come through. The box struck the door with a deafening thud and fell to the floor, spilling its contents in every which direction. Breathing hard from the effort, Sharpay stared down at what she had just thrown.

Suddenly, without even considering cleaning the mess she'd just made, Sharpay turned on her heal and confidently came upon her bedroom door. Grasping the handle, she didn't allow herself time for hesitation. With a simple turn and an effortless push Sharpay opened her bedroom door and finally allowed herself to enter the room that she had, just moments ago, been too afraid to change.

**

* * *

Finally, another update! I hope my chapters are worth the wait.**

**Notice how last chapter ended with a door closing and this chapter ended with a door opening. That may mean something more, if you catch my drift...**

**Anyway, please review**


	4. Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical**

* * *

Good-bye

"Here you go, Chad. This is all of Troy's stuff. Now, please, can you just take it and leave?"

Chad grabbed the small box of Troy's belongings but his attention was distracted by the state of Sharpay's apartment. The door had chunks missing and the frame had been smashed in, leaving it hanging at an odd angle. The inside of her apartment had been completely ripped apart. The cushions on her couch were slashed and all her kitchenware was thrown about and lying on the floor. Glass was broken and strewn about and her television was missing.

"Shar, what in God's name happened here?" he asked more than slightly concerned.

"What? Oh, this? It's nothing, really. My apartment just got broken into while I was at work yesterday. My landlord's coming by to fix the doorframe later." She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. In actuality, she was terrified to be standing in that apartment, but she had nowhere else to go and she couldn't afford a safer building at the moment.

Chad gave her a worried expression but shrewdly kept his mouth shut on his opinions. With a small smile he turned and walked out the door. Before closing it behind him, he quickly said, "If you ever need anything, you have my number, right?"

Sharpay smiled, "Sure. But, don't worry. I won't be needing anything."

Chad glanced once more at her torn up apartment and gave her a skeptical look. "Ok. Be safe, Shar," he said then turned and walked down the hallway and out the door.

* * *

"CUT! Cut! Sharpay? Dear? Did you hear what I said the last time we cut? I said I didn't want you to walk down those steps," the director of the commercial that Sharpay scored a part in, Marigold Darbus, muttered through gritted teeth.

Sharpay giggled nervously, "Yes, of course I heard you. It's just that my boyfriend and I recently broke up and my focus has been a little-"

"Ugh, I don't want to hear it!" Ms. Darbus bellowed as she dramatically threw her hands into the air and turned her back. Whipping back around to face the young actress, she continued, "Sharpay, this is your _career_ you're dealing with. Not some expendable relationship that will be forgotten within the week. Let's take five," she muttered, throwing her hand down in disgust as she slumped back into her directors' chair.

Sharpay sighed in defeat, silently agreeing with Ms. Darbus about this being too important to screw up simply because of a break-up. Shuffling to the back of the soundstage, toward the dented and scratched yellow locker that she was provided with, Sharpay pulled out her phone to check for any missed calls. _New Voicemail_, the screen read. A small portion of her was immediately hopeful that it would be Troy, finally come to his senses and apologizing profusely. The other part was telling her that it was incredibly unlikely that it would be Troy and she should just put that thought out of her head. In any case, Sharpay was in for a dramatic shock when she heard the actual message.

"Hey – _cough_ –hey Sharpay," Ryan gasped. He sounded as though he was having difficulty controlling his coughing. "Shar, I need you – _cough_. It's gotten a lot worse. I'm not – _cough_ – I'm not going to make it."

That was where he ended the message. Sharpay's heart was beating with uncontrollable fear. Hands shaking, Sharpay quickly shoved the phone back in her bag and grabbed everything that was sitting in her locker. Running over to Ms. Darbus, Sharpay tried to give a hasty explanation as her anxiety grew within her chest exponentially. "It's just that," she looked to the ceiling in frustration. Why is it that words don't seem to come when you need them most? "He's really sick and I need to go help him. Immediately! I'm so sorry, Ms. Darbus, could we pick up this scene another day?"

Ms. Darbus stared at Sharpay for a beat. Finally, after what seemed to Sharpay to be an unnecessary eternity, she replied with carefully chosen words, "Sharpay? You need to be with your brother right now, I understand that. But, seeing as this is the only scene in the entire commercial, the moment you step out that stage door, I'm afraid you will no longer be considered a part of this cast." With a pointed look, she gave Sharpay a curt nod. Sharpay, who hadn't listened to a word that came out of Ms. Darbus's mouth, panted a hasty "Thank you" as she spun on her heal and sprinted out of the soundstage and into the recording lot's parking lot.

* * *

Troy stood at his office window dressed smartly in business attire and tie. He had a miniature car pressed against his window and was making screeching noises as he drove it along the glass.

"Vrooooom – EEEEECH!"

"I love a man who can control his toys," a sultry voice said from the doorway.

Startled, Troy jumped, accidentally dropping his car. Pretending he'd never been holding it in the first place, he conspicuously kicked it beneath his desk as he turned and looked at Gabriella, who was watching him amusedly.

"So," she continued, taking slow, measured steps toward him. "I'm almost done with my work for the day and I was thinking. I've been so stressed lately, I could really go for a good backrub." She pouted up at him seductively as she took the final step to reach him. Troy gulped uncomfortably as she grabbed onto his tie and gently pulled, bringing his head closer to hers. Leaning up, Gabriella pressed her body flush against Troy's as she brought her lips within centimeters of his ear. He could feel her hot breath on his neck as she whispered, "Let's see just how fast you can really go."

Taking a small step back, Gabriella broke the contact between their two bodies. Staring him straight in the eye, she watched as struggled not to readjust. With a satisfied smirk, she turned and walked back toward the door. With one hand on the frame, Gabriella turned her head to look over her shoulder. She held Troy's gaze for a moment then suggestively glanced to a different region of Troy's anatomy. Sure that he got the point, she finally sashayed the rest of the way out of his office, leaving him frozen, breathing in shallow, excited gasps.

* * *

Screeching to a halt in front of Ryan's apartment complex, Sharpay jumped out of the car and raced toward the building. Not even bothering to take the elevator, she tore up the stairs and stopped, gasping for breath in front of her brothers door. Ringing the doorbell, she impatiently tapped her foot as she tried to force her breathing to return to normal.

Finally, the door slowly creaked open, revealing a very pale and frail looking Ryan on the other side. Despite her vow of strength, Sharpay unwillingly allowed a flood of tears to escape as she stepped forward and protectively hugged her brother in a strong, almost desperate embrace.

"Ryan," she whispered.

Ryan started to chuckle but it quickly turned into a violent struggle to hold down the barrage of coughs. Sharpay gave Ryan the room he needed, closing the door behind her, she looked around his apartment. All the shades had been pulled over the windows and the room had not been cleaned in quite a while. It smelled of must and sickness. Unable to stand it, Sharpay went to the nearest window, pulled back the curtains and tugged it open as far as it would go, allowing fresh air and sunlight to permeate the dark cramped apartment.

Ryan, having regained control over his coughing, sat on the couch with a blank expression. Sharpay let him sit there as she opened the rest of the windows, brightening up the room to a much more cheerful tone. She then went into Ryan's bedroom and, after searching under his bed and through his closet, found what he had clearly been refusing to use. Wheeling the oxygen tank to the couch, Sharpay sat beside him and handed him the Nasal Cannula, a thin tube with two small nozzles that project onto the nostrils, and shook her head in disappointment, "Why haven't you been wearing this?"

"What makes you say I haven't been wearing it?" He replied in weak defense. "Maybe I just took it off!"

"You were using it as one of the legs on your bedside table!" Sharpay exclaimed, frustrated.

Ryan smiled sheepishly and looked away, "Oh yeah."

Sharpay was about to say more on the subject but the brochures on Ryan's coffee table caught her attention instead. All the Cystic Fibrosis pamphlets that they had gathered from the doctors office and studied intently back in high school were scattered about. Sharpay picked one up and looked at a drawn picture of a lung after years of carrying the disease. Throwing the pamphlet back on the table, Sharpay turned to Ryan and said in an angry tone, "Why are you looking at these brochures again? We already know all there is to know about this disease, you don't need to look at all the pictures too!"

"I know," Ryan replied slowly. He was having trouble breathing so he had to take a breath after ever couple of words. "I just wanted to – to find the one about preparing – for death."

Sharpay stared at Ryan in horror. "Don't you _ever_ say that again." She whispered, incensed. "Ryan, listen to me. You are _not_ going to die. Remember what the doctors said? Remember? They didn't think that you were going to last through high school, but here you are! Almost ten years out of high school. You are strong. You're a fighter. And I refuse to lose you." By the time Sharpay finished speaking both she and Ryan had tears streaming down their cheeks as they clung to that last strand of futile hope.

Ryan quickly wiped his tears and cleared his throat. "Ok, Shar. I believe you. Now, can we do something that wont make me cry? Its not very manly."

Sharpay laughed through her tears and nodded in agreement. "Let's go for a drive. You need to get out of this nasty apartment."

Ryan held his hand to his chest in mock outrage, "My apartment is in no way nasty! It's European." Sharpay giggled and threw a small cushion at him.

_

* * *

_

Sharpay pressed her foot firmly against the accelerator. The car responded with a satisfying grumble as it quickly picked up speed. She could hardly make out her surroundings because of the dark. It was clearly night time with the sporadically placed street lamps functioning as the main source of light. Looking at her clock, she saw what she'd recently always been too tired to see. It was three in the morning.

_All the windows in the car were rolled down allowing the wind to blow in every which direction. The papers in the back seat danced with each other for a few minutes before getting caught by a particularly strong gust of wind and flew out the window into the dark world beyond._

_Where was she going? She didn't really know. Although it felt as though her feet knew exactly what was going on. Taking a turn, Sharpay saw that the car was headed in a more upscale business district with the buildings placed slightly further off the street and the landscaping more prominent. With a loud painful cough, Sharpay held her hand up to her mouth. Her chest was burning from the effort and, when she finally stopped coughing long enough to look at her hand, she saw large specks of blood had landed there._

_This brought on a renewed sense of determination. Seeing the desired location just ahead, Sharpay slammed her foot flat against the floor on top of the acceleration. The car sped even faster as it approached the one building that still had its lights shining throughout the night. Faster, faster she drove until she was nearly alongside the building. Then, taking one shallow breath, she jerked the steering wheel to the side, causing the car to squeal as it swerved in the subsequent direction, directly toward the St. Mary's Medical Center sign. Squeezing her eyes shut, she held her breath waiting for the final–_

Sharpay gasped as she bolted up in the bed. Her heart was racing and her clothes were sticking uncomfortably to her sweaty body. Panting, she took a moment to calm down.

"Ryan," she hoarsely whispered. "Ryan, I just had the most awful dream." She reached her hand toward the lump lying next to her only to find that it was just a pile of bedding. "Ryan?" she asked into the darkness, her panic coming back in full force. "Ryan?" She screamed this time. Then, pausing to listen, she heard absolutely nothing.

RING

Sharpay jumped at the sudden ringing of her phone. Convinced that it was Ryan, she scrambled to find it. Slamming the receiver against her ear, she shouted "Ryan, where are you?!"

"Is this Sharpay Evans," a small female voice said soothingly on the other line. Sharpay's heart sunk. She nodded and tried to speak but her words were getting caught in her throat. Sinking to the floor, leaning her back against Ryan's bed, Sharpay finally squeaked out a diffident "yes?"

"I have it written here that you are Ryan Evans emergency contact?"

"Yes?" Sharpay repeated in that same reticence.

"This is Tiara from St. Mary's Medical Center. We have your brother here, but we need to talk to you about his condition. Would it be possible for you to come in?"

Sharpay's breath caught in her throat again. Without answering, she hung up the phone. Throwing on her jeans, Sharpay grabbed her purse and ran out of Ryan's apartment and down the stairs. Sprinting into the parking lot, she looked to where she had last left her car, only to find that it was missing. At any other time, this would have caused her to drop everything and panic. But, seeing as her panic was already beyond its limit, she simply reached into her purse and pulled out her phone to call a taxi. As she was putting her phone back into her purse, she vaguely noticed that her keys weren't even in her bag.

* * *

"What?" Sharpay gasped as she slowly lowered herself into a hard plastic hospital chair.

"I'm so sorry. The wall of his lung was very eroded, dangerously thin. It seems that the impact of the car on our sign cause it to rip. We took him immediately into surgery but there was nothing we could do."

The doctor, who also had tears in his eyes, put a comforting hand on Sharpays back. Numb, Sharpay didn't notice the hand, or any more words that he spoke. Hiding her head in her hands and leaning her elbows on her knees, Sharpay released the last bit of control she was exercising. Letting the tears fall, she couldn't seem to stop the compulsive sobs and gasps that accompanied it. At this, the doctor stopped talking and just sat with Sharpay, trying to offer supportive comfort.

Finally, Sharpay calmed down enough to ask in a small voice, "Can I see him?"

Nodding, the doctor stood and led Sharpay to Ryan's room. Holding the door open for Sharpay, he gave her a reassuring look and then closed the door, leaving Sharpay alone with her brother.

Approaching the bed, Sharpay took a deep, shaky breath as she grabbed hold of Ryan's cold stiff hand. "Oh, Ryan," she sighed as the tears continued to fall. "I hope this was right. I mean, I know it has been such hell living with this disease. Not a day went by that I didn't wish it had been me instead. But you were so brave. You were so strong. You were my hero, Ryan. I can't do this without you. I need you." Sharpay said pleadingly. Realizing that this was not how she wanted to end her relationship with her brother, Sharpay took a steadying breath and finished, "I just - I hope you're well tonight. I hope you're finally safe. And I'm going to miss you. I love you so much."

* * *

Sharpay lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She'd come home straight from the hospital, unable to deal with those surroundings any longer, preferring her trashed apartment. It was now morning. She'd been laying on this bed, not crying but not able to sleep, for hours. Her phone started to ring, but she was so lost in thought, she didn't even notice it until it was approaching its final ring. Forcing herself back into the present, she finally answered her phone.

"Hello?" she asked in a small voice that gave away her emotions.

"Shar?"

"Troy?!" she responded in surprise. "Why are you calling?"

"Chad told me what happened to your apartment. Shar, I'm worried about you. You need to get a new place," he said.

"You know what Troy? This is no longer your problem, is it?" Sharpay replied heatedly, "You can just take that worry and shove it, because it doesn't concern you. I can live where I want."

Troy replied in annoyance, "Why don't you understand? If you just get a stable job you'll be able to afford a safer place. You're so smart, Shar, why don't you use that?" This conversation was sounding uncomfortably similar to fights they'd had as a couple.

"Troy. I don't want a job like you have. I don't need that kind of stability. What you can't see is that I have the whole world right here, right in the palm of my hand. And you, you are done. You have your career and you've made your money, but that's all you have. And, frankly, I was never convinced you even liked your job. But I'm not going to let that happen to me. I am going to become a great actress and I love every minute of getting to that point, whether I have money or not. We only have one life, Troy, and I'm not going to waste mine. Good-bye."

Hanging up the phone, Sharpay sat up in her bed.

"I only have one life," she repeated to herself, thinking of Ryan. Standing, Sharpay went and turned her coffee maker on as she silently made a vow to herself that she would never forget. A vow to live her life completely, because she was no longer living it for just herself. She was living it for Ryan, too.

******

* * *

**

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

**Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that wears on the lung tissues and reduces the effectiveness of the immune system. My uncle had it. He died when I was nine. I was actually the last person to ever see him, it completely tore my heart out. So, this is sort of in remembrance of him.**

**Please don't hate me. I told you this would be a depressing story.**

**Please tell me what you think in the review!**


	5. Happy Again

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

* * *

Happy Again

May

Waking gently by the sunlight streaming through her window and softly illuminating her face, Sharpay slowly opened her eyes and stretched languorously on top of her sheets. Taking in a deep, contented breath the girl allowed herself another minute to wake more completely before rising to get ready. Glancing over to the clock that was sitting on her nightstand, Sharpay's eyes instead landed fortuitously on the portrait of Ryan that she had framed and placed there just yesterday. This newly profound addition to her bedroom effects still seemed out of place to her eye, as if it hadn't quite found or fulfilled its true purpose for residing on her nightstand, beneath her lamp and next to her alarm clock. With a determined smile Sharpay bid Ryan a good morning and finally got up to begin her day.

Sharpay hummed a familiar tune as she serenely picked out her clothes and tidied her hair. She happily went about her morning chores, articulately placing every object in its correct spot. Brewing fresh coffee and toasting a healthy breakfast, all the while humming that familiar tune because today was a special day. Today was the first day she would make Ryan proud. Today she was going to read books to the children in the terminal ward at the hospital.

* * *

June

Gritting her teeth, Sharpay forced one foot in front of the other as she approached the hospital building. Visiting these terminal kids was like exercise: no matter how much you love the outcome, initiating the motion is the most despised task. She forced herself to keep walking down the fluorescently lit, tiled floored, sterilized walled hospital, only encouraged by the fact that each step caused her grimace to turn more naturally into a genuine smile. The final trigger into that all too familar feeling of warmth and love was the chorus of children's voices calling for her attention and animatedly showing her their latest art projects.

Stepping into that room full of children it was like Sharpay had stepped into an oasis. The distasteful environment melted away and only the happy eager faces of every child remained in Sharpay's consciousness. It was in this moment that Sharpay could finally release a soft, unadulterated chuckle as she made her almost daily rounds through the sea of children and beds, her long apprehensive walk to this room completely forgotten.

* * *

July

Wearily sliding into her chair at work, Sharpay released a grateful sigh to be sitting. She had been having trouble sleeping lately and this deprivation made her tire noticeably sooner. She sported bags under her eyes and her skin was sickly pale. A pale that was only exaggerated by everybody else's summer tanned faces. Taylor snapped some snide comment in Sharpay's direction causing a few of the workers sitting near by to smirk. Sharpay didn't respond. She didn't even indicate that she'd heard. She just didn't have the energy to waste on such trivialities.

'_Today's goal,'_ she thought gloomily, tempted to write this on a sticky note and sardonically post it to the 'daily goals' corkboard, _'survive the day'_.

Sharpay released a small, defeated moan and looked hesitently at her phone. The lights on all the lines were mercilessly flashing at her, challenging her like a carnival game. With short-lived determination she grasped the handle of the phone in her weak grip and, putting her already aching head into her free hand and squeezing her eyes shut, she brought the phone gingerly to her ear. _'Maybe the odds are against me but who said the underdog can't win?' _she thought._ 'I just need some tylenol first.'_

* * *

August

Sharpay rushed through the door of the coffee shop, eternally late. Pausing to glance around, she suddenly flashed back to High School, back when she had been tricked into what she thought was a date with the school's hottie super-bum. It wasn't until she arrived that she found out it was just a wicked prank and she was the butt of it all. That had been humiliating. Spotting Chad smiling and waving at her from the other side of the café, Sharpay sighed with relief and returned the wave.

Though Chad was Troy's friend and Sharpay and he had never spent time together during that relationship, the two had somehow formed a close bond over the break-up. Sharpay didn't often think about the oddity of the formation of their friendship, she was just glad it was there. After inadvertantly isolating and destroying all her other relationships, she felt as though this friendship was her last lifeline left.

"I found a show for you to audition for," Chad said brightly as Sharpay sank exhausted into the chair opposite him. He slid the coffee he'd bought for her across the table and continued. "It's weird how I never noticed these casting calls until I knew an accomplished actress!"

"Hardly accomplished."

"It's for some new Disney Channel Movie, I'm not sure what it's about. The audition day is Saturday, which works perfect for you."

"Actually," Sharpay replied slowly, not lifting her eyes from the table. "I don't think I can make it. I'm going to be at the hospital."

"Oh, come on!" Chad sighed exasperatedly. "This is your career we're talking about. I've never known you to flake on your career. I'm sure the kids will understand, you're with them almost every day anyways," he argued. Then his face lifted with a hopeful smile as he suggested, "How about I visit the children for you?"

Sharpay stared blankly at the table for a beat before monotonously responding, "No. It has to be me."

* * *

September

Despite the bright early afternoon sun the apartment was dark, every shade pulled shut. The front door sported a rusty lock that the landlord insisted would keep intruders out and the old frame was nailed back in place. It didn't provide the comfort it was supposed to. One glance around the apartment, and anybody would think it was abandoned. Dust collected on the surfaces, light bulbs were broken and missing, and the sound of a scratching mouse could be heard scurrying to his nest in the kitchen wall.

Sharpay lay on the couch, staring intently at the space that used to house a television. She had been lying there since morning and showed no signs of getting up. At one point she had considered eating but then remembered that the refrigerator contained nothing but a moldy chunk of swiss cheese and the last dregs of expired milk. It had been like that for a week. Instead she remained on the couch. Motionless. Thoughtless. Numb.

All of a sudden, the overbearing silence was shattered by the shrill ring of her telephone. Sharpay didn't even flinch. One ring. Two rings. She didn't even look as if she could hear it. Three rings. Beep. Finally, the answering machine picked up.

"Shar? It's Chad. I know you're there, please pick up." After a short pause, he sighed into the receiver causing the blowing breath to sound like a gust of wind. "Fine, I'll just say this on the machine, since you apparantly no longer answer your phone. I honestly think you need help. You've been showing major signs of depression and, at first I thought - and I think you did too- that it would be temporary. I mean, you have been having an admittedly rough time. But it hasn't been lessening, has it? You may not want to admit this to yourself but you can't hide it from me. Shar, I'm worried about you."

* * *

October

Zeke Baylor watched through the glass divider as Sharpay sat cross-legged on the hard tile floor, seemingly unaware of all the commotion around her. She was in the terminal ward of the hospital again; a place she had spent the better part of the last six months of her life in. But today she was different. Today she looked lost, as if she wouldn't be able to recall her own name. The children had long ago given up trying to interact with her. Now they knew to merely avoid any close physical contact with her. Every day they allowed her to sit in their room as they continued to mosey about their own business, laughing and insulting each other in a light-hearted manner.

Zeke had known Sharpay for three months now. He had started visiting bi-weekly back in July when his nephew was checked in for Leukemia. On his first visit to the ward he witnessed this sad girl bravely put on a smile as she helped the children assemble their various arts and crafts activities. She had easily fooled them with that smile but he could see the despair that just wouldn't leave her eyes. From that day on he tried to talk to her about what was clearly weighing on her mind, tried to open her up to air out her buried emotions, but every time he approached her she would answer with a simple, "Honestly, Zeke, I'm ok." Now he watches, week after week, as she slowly deteriorates right in front of him, a little more gone every day.

He caught her attention through the glass and silently motioned for her to join him. She looked around the room, ostensibly startled to find herself surrounded by children, then slowly stood and walked into the hallway. All the while she was fighting a losing battle with herself to fix a pleasantly contented expression on her face.

"What's up, Shar?" he asked as though he didn't know the truth.

"Nothing," Sharpay shrugged and averted her gaze to the floor. Zeke's searching eyes had a way of breaking through her defenses and it made her dreadfully uncomfortable.

Zeke waited for Sharpay to say more but he knew she was done. He sighed softly and said, "He must have been very dear to you."

Sharpay snapped her eyes up from the floor and fixed Zeke with a suspicious glare. "Who?" she asked cautiously.

"You tell me," he replied without hesitation.

"Honestly, Zeke," Sharpay said exasperatedly. "I'm ok."

Zeke chuckled humorlessly and shook his head. "No, Sharpay," he said with an ironic smile. "You are not ok. You're dying from the inside out when you should be celebrating life. You have so much to give the world and you're just letting it shrivel away."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I _am_ celebrating life, Zeke. I'm celebrating the lives of all these kids," she quickly replied, indicating the kids inside the room.

"Sure, you're celebrating their lives," he quietly conceded. "And you're losing your own in the process."

Sharpay rolled her eyes once more and returned to the room with the children without caring to form a response.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Sharpay wearily stepped into her dark, broken apartment. She dropped her purse and keys onto the table and headed to her room without even glancing around. Falling onto the bed, she sighed a relieved sigh as she hugged her pillow contentedly and reveled in the only moment in her day that she looked forward to. Being alone.

_Suddenly, the loud banging of her front door startled her awake. She sat up nervously and listened. Somebody was in her apartment, and it sounded like they were – cooking? She got up and crept to her bedroom door, absentmindedly noting how her room was suddenly a lot tidier than when she had fallen asleep. Grasping the handle, she opened it a creak and peaked through the slight crack. Catching a glimpse of a smiling face and a shock of blonde hair, Sharpay let out an excited squeal and threw the door open._

"_Ryan!" she shrieked excitedly, stepping into her brightly lit apartment. She noticed that the door frame was solid again and she made a mental note to ask Ryan later when he'd had time to fix that._

_Ryan started at her loud shriek and dropped the frying pan that he was frying the bacon on. "Shit," he muttered as he bent down to pick up the mess._

"_Ryan, what are you doing here? Aren't you dead?" Sharpay asked, having just remembered the physical technicalities that dictate this scene to be impossible._

_Ryan stood and smiled at Sharpay with open arms. "Of course I'm dead, Sharpay. People don't just come back to life after their lung bursts." He laughed as he enveloped her in a comforting hug._

"_Right."_

_Ryan motioned for her to sit down and he placed a warm cup of coffee on the table, next to her hand. He then turned his back and tended to his cooking breakfast._

_"What are you doing here?" Sharpay asked curiously, dismissing his non-existance._

"_Do you remember back in High School, that one play we were second cast in?" Ryan asked innocently, answering her question with another._

_Sharpay scoffed. "How could I forget? It was the only school production we didn't get the leads in. That made me so angry!"_

"_Yes, you were definitely angry." He agreed, nodding into his pancake batter without displaying any emotion in his response. "Do you remember how you treated that girl, what was her name again?"_

"_Oh, I don't remember," Sharpay griped exasperatedly. "What's your point, Ryan?"_

"_Nothing! I'm just saying that you made it your sole purpose to make that girls life a living hell. I mean, you missed out on living your own life to ensure that hers was undoubtedly vile. You made her cry, Sharpay!"_

_Sharpay looked away, her face set in a stony glare of indifference. "At the risk of sounding redundant, Ryan, what's your point?"_

_Ryan turned around so that he was facing his sister. "You didn't actually hate that girl. You hated our parents for pigeon-holing our lives. But since you couldn't actually hate our parents, you misdirected that emotion onto the girl."_

_Sharpay stared at Ryan, her expression unchanged. "And?"_

"_I just don't want you to do that again now. Don't slide back into that mindset. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean you can't be angry with me. So stop punishing yourself."_

_Sharpay balked. "I'm not punishing myself!" she protested, standing up to meet Ryan's gaze on level, "I promised to live my life completely, I'm living–"_

"_Then do it!" Ryan shouted, interrupted her and stunning her into silence. "Then live it, Sharpay. Stop misplacing your anger and start living again."_

Sharpay started awake, sitting up straight in bed. Her bedroom was dark and messy. She'd stopped trying to clean everything up a while back. What was the point, anyway? It would just get messy again. She put a hand to her forehead, feeling its warmth. Not a feverish warmth; more of a living warmth. She took a deep breath then scrambled out of bed. Dashing into her dim, wrecked kitchen she grabbed her purse and dug through it, searching for her phone. Finally, she found it buried at the bottom, hiding beneath her wallet.

Pulling it out, she quickly searched through her contacts list and found Zekes name. Pressing send, she held the phone to her ear and almost inaudibly chanted, "please pick up, please pick up, please pick up."

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered on the last ring. Sharpay glanced at the clock for the first time and realized it was late to be calling a civilized human being. But she didn't care. She needed to call him.

"Zeke!" she nearly shouted into the phone. "Zeke, its Sharpay!"

"Sharpay!" he was much more alert now. "Has something happened? What's wrong?" the concern was strongly evident in his voice.

"Nothing, it's just." Sharpay paused and bit her lip. Could she really do this? "Zeke? You're right. I just – I just want to be happy again."

* * *

Sharpay walked through the coffee shop door. That familiar memory of being pranked by hottie super-bum running through her mind. She forcibly quelled the thought and actively searched out Zeke. He was standing in line about three people back.

"Zeke!" she called, unable to hide the hint of relief in her voice. He turned around and smiled at her warmly. Sharpay took two steps in his direction to join him in line when she heard a familiar, though unexpected voice to her left.

"Sharpay?"

She stopped and turned her head in the direction of the voice, not sure if she wanted this to be happening. "Troy!" she exclaimed hoping to sound pleasantly surprised instead of distractedly indifferent.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, an affectionate smile gracing his tanned face.

Sharpay laughed, "Well, seeing as I live here and you were supposed to have moved to New York, don't you think you stole my question?" she asked, feigning good humor despite her mind screaming at her to get away.

Troy smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he said, looking down uncomfortably. "I had moved to New York but, you know, things change. We ended up moving back here."

"We?"

"Oh, sorry," Troy shifted his weight on his feet, it was a nervous habit of his. "I'm sort of seeing somebody right now." He finally pulled his gaze up to look defiantly into Sharpay's.

Sharpay didn't give in to the challenge. She smiled and nodded knowingly. "How is Gabriella?" she asked kindly. "I hear she's a great cook. Something I was never very good at, huh?" she laughed, trying to sound blithe. Seeing Troy reply with only a confused expression, Sharpay quickly clarified, "Chad and I talk. He told me about Gabriella. She sounds," Sharpay paused, thinking of an appropriate word. "sweet."

Troy nodded.

"Where is she, by the way?" Sharpay asked, for some reason unable to end this awkward conversation.

"I don't know," Troy shrugged, seemingly surprised by the question.

"You don't know that a lot about her, do you?' Sharpay mumbled, not intending for Troy to hear her. She quickly looked away to check on Zeke's progress in line and saw that he was giving the order.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Troy asked harshly, more harshly than would be expected.

Sharpay looked back at Troy, eyes wide, slight frown in place. "Nothing!" She protested in defense. "Nothing. It's just. Do you know where she was last night? For that matter, do you know where Chad was last night?" She hastily cut herself off. This was not her place, this was not her business. Guiltily, she watched as Troy's expression slowly turned into an accusatory glare. Sharpay simply shrugged and repeated, "Chad and I talk."

"Here you go, Sharpay," Zeke interrupted in his calming way, handing Sharpay her coffee and giving Troy a curious glance.

"Thanks, Zeke," she said, smiling warmly up at him. "Oh, Troy, this is Zeke. Zeke, this is Troy. He's an old friend."

Zeke smiled at Troy and held out his hand for a polite shake but Troy didn't seem to notice. He just narrowed his eyes as he fixed Sharpay with an intensely curious stare. "You and Chad weren't friends," he said as though this statement would prove everything she seemed to know to be false.

"It's like you said," she answered softly. "Things change."

**

* * *

**

As always, I took too long to get this out. I like to think it adds to my pleasant charm. Also, I hope you understood that that whole scene with Ryan was a dream. It was supposed to be one of those dreams that you only half know is a dream when it's happening because you didn't even realize you'd fallen asleep.

**Please, please, please tell me what you think.**


	6. The Chase

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical**

* * *

The Chase

"I'm so excited you're finally going to show me how to make that chicken!" Sharpay gushed as she and Zeke stepped out of the blinding early afternoon sunlight and into the bitterly air conditioned produce section of the neighborhood grocery store. This was Zekes favorite place to shop, it being a small, family owned store where he'd become close friends with the owners. He was thrilled to be sharing it with Sharpay.

Zeke chuckled at her enthusiasm. "It might be more exciting if I hadn't had to teach you how to boil an egg first," he quipped playfully.

Sharpay swatted at his arm in good humor, all the while protesting, "That is not true! I just don't find it necessary to add salt and chicken broth to the water!"

"And that is why I own a restaurant and you don't."

"Fine," Sharpay conceded with a giggle as she snatched the long grocery list out of Zeke's hand and glanced down at all the words she'd never seen before. Most she couldn't even pronounce. "What are poblano peppers?"

"It's a type of pepper."

Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"How about I get the poblano's and you get the garlic." Zeke said. "You do know what garlic is, right? It's the thing I put around my neck whenever you're around."

Sharpay gasped loudly and Zeke smirked as he ducked away being sure to get out of arms length before Sharpay could hit him any more. Instead, she planted herself next to the ripe avocadoes with her hands on her hips and a malevolent glare on her face, watching as Zeke scampered to the other end of the store laughing.

"Chicken!" She called out to him.

"Is what's for dinner!" He yelled back.

Shaking her head, Sharpay smiled to herself as she walked over to where the garlic was sitting. She took a moment to study the display wondering how to know which was the best to pick. She quickly decided that it wouldn't matter which one she chose. And so, with that, she reached down and didn't notice the other hand that was reaching for the same head of garlic.

The two hands touched and Sharpay immediately jumped back in surprise mumbling her apologies. She looked up to see who she had fortuitously played handsies with and unexpectedly came face to face with a chuckling Troy.

"Hi Sharpay," he said softly, not sounding nearly as surprised as Sharpay was feeling.

Sharpay continued to stare for a moment before she realized that her mouth was hanging open. "Troy!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't go grocery shopping any more?" he asked holding his hand up to his chest pretending to be horribly offended.

Sharpay laughed nervously and glanced around the store. "Of course you can!" She insisted a bit too forcefully. She quickly cleared her throat and lowered her volume to a more normal level before continuing, "I just meant – what are you doing at this particular grocery store when you live on the complete other side of town?"

"I was in the area," he replied simply looking back at the garlic display, acting as though he'd suddenly become too preoccupied with this task to finish their conversation.

Sharpay nodded, still confused by his presence but was unable to prolong her inquiries. Instead, an awkward silence ensued which, with every passing second, became more and more difficult to break. They both stood there, next to the garlic, alternating between glancing at each other and quickly looking away so as not to get caught staring.

Finally, Troy grabbed a head of garlic and threw it into the plastic bag that he was fidgeting with as he mumbled, "Well, I better get…" he motioned toward the check out area that was located behind Sharpay with his thumb.

"Right," Sharpay nodded, sighing with relief. She stepped aside and watched as Troy took three steps towards the checkout. Then, stopping abruptly, he took a deep breath and turned around quickly to look at her once more with an overtly curious expression playing on his features.

"You and Zeke. Are you two serious?" he asked, catching Sharpay completely off guard with the question.

"Serious?" Sharpay asked looking away, unable to hold Troy's intense gaze and wondering why she suddenly felt guilty. "No, not really. Not that it's any of your business." She finally replied in a defiant tone, her unease mirrored in her reserved stance. "Why do you care, anyway?"

Troy shrugged and said casually, "I just want to know how guilty I should feel when I steal you back." Then, with a wink, he turned and walked away, leaving Sharpay completely dumbfounded.

* * *

Troy sat at his kitchen table sipping a steaming cup of tea deep in contemplation. In the past week he had managed to run into Sharpay three times but he was worried his tactics weren't working quite as well as he had originally planned. He knew Sharpay was a master at disguising her true emotions, he just wasn't entirely convinced that her lack of enthusiasm about him was an act this time. Of course, that in no way meant that he was going to give up. It simply meant that he had to modify his strategy a bit.

The first time he'd run into her was, of course, at the grocery store. It really had been great fortune that Troy's boss just happened to hold their last dinner meeting at Zeke's restaurant. Troy had been on his way to the restroom when he'd overheard Zeke on the phone. Sharpay is quite an unusual name, after all, so when Zeke uttered it into the receiver Troy's attention had been immediately caught. And it certainly wasn't Troy's fault that he had to pause at exactly that moment to retie his shoe, thus overhearing all their plans for the next day.

The second time he'd run into her was at the park. Sharpay made a habit of eating her lunch in the small park located across the street from her work on every nice Wednesday of the warmer months of the year. Troy had always thought that had been a great deal of restriction to a simple event. Sharpay had always rolled her eyes and brushed off his teasing remarks with a grin and a "but I love it". When Troy and Sharpay had been dating he'd often met her there and they would spend half an hour of their Wednesday eating lunch and participating in boring yet strangely entertaining small talk together. It was a great break from their entirely different but equally stressful work days.

Though Troy and Sharpay were no longer dating, Sharpay had kept this routine. Knowing how habitual Sharpay likes her life to be, Troy knew exactly when to show up with a bagged lunch of his own. He even left work early so that he could be sitting in their spot before Sharpay arrived.

The encounter had started off well. After her initial surprise the two took part in some light banter and happy reminiscing. However the mood quickly turned sour when the reminiscing led to more malicious banter which rapidly transformed into genuine bickering. Troy had just wanted to have a nice lunch but Sharpay was acting childish and unbelievably annoying the whole time. And barely were those words out of his mouth when they were full out fighting, just as they had at the end of their relationship. Their lunch ended shortly after that with an irate Sharpay grabbing the remains of her sandwich and throwing it at Troy before stomping back across the street to finish the lunch hour in the woman's bathroom in her office.

Admittedly, that had not been the best of encounters. Stupid Troy, stupid, stupid Troy. But no, he was not going to give up. This just proved that they still had passion between them.

Right?

The third time he'd run into her had been slightly more unintentional and much more literal. He'd bought a bouquet of white lilies and was pacing in front of her building, unable to decide whether or not he should drop them off. He'd just decided for the fifth time that he should just leave when he ran into something boney and apparently knocked it to the ground.

Apologizing profusely, he knelt down offering his hand to help it up. And that's when he saw her. And boy did she look, well, we'll just say she was less than pleased. Troy quickly shoved the flowers into her hands and started rambling his apology but she wouldn't hear it. She angrily threw the flowers in the nearest trash bin and continued to march coolly on her way. Troy, following close behind her, tried to hiss the rest of his speech in her ear without causing too much of a scene for anybody else on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, Sharpay did not seem to have the same concern. Fed up with Troy's antics, she threw her hands down and quickly turned to face Troy with a frustrated expression.

"Troy!" she shouted loudly causing the few people on the sidewalk to take a markedly wider berth around them, probably for fear of a violent out-lashing. "Will you just Stop following me?! I don't understand why you suddenly want to get back together. We clearly didn't work back then, what makes you think it would be different this time?" Then, without giving him a chance to respond (which is probably good because he didn't have a response) she turned and stalked away, this time him the one left dumbfounded and alone.

Yes, a new game plan was very much needed.

* * *

Sharpay stepped into the bright sunlight and breathed in the unusually warm autumn breeze as she started walking toward Zeke, who was currently unloading himself from his car on the other side of her office's parking lot. It had been almost a week since she had last run into Troy and she was hopeful that he had given up. She honestly didn't think her heart could take any more beatings or reminders from him. Her mild contentment, however, was short-lived as she reminded herself where she was off to: the annual office picnic and volleyball tournament. In other words, her own personal hell. Fortunately, she'd convinced Zeke to go with her so that she'd have somebody to entertain her throughout its torturously endless hours.

"Hey Shar!" Zeke greeted her with a smile as she got closer to where he was waiting.

"Hey Zeke," she replied, returning the smile.

"Hey Shar!" a different but still cheerful voice to her right said.

"Hey Troy. Wait, Troy? Oh, honestly! What are you doing at my office picnic?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I always go to this!"

"You've never gone to this!"

"Well, I'd always _meant_ to go to this. So, I'm just righting my wrong."

"Whatever," Sharpay rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Come on Zeke, it's in the park over here." She said as she grabbed Zeke's elbow and pulled him on toward the picnic.

"No thanks!" Troy called after them. "I can get this myself, you two go on ahead. I'll catch up!"

"Go home Troy!" Sharpay barked over her shoulder, her hold on Zekes arm becoming increasingly more squeezed as her irritation grew.

"Yeouch! I might need that for volleyball!" he said, finally unable to bear the pain she was inadvertently causing.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

The two stepped into a clearing just inside the entrance to the park where the rest of Sharpay's office had gathered. The grill's were fired up, the picnic tables were decorated with balloons and the company was loosening up with a couple a beers (that had started flowing out of anticipation a couple hours ago).

"SHARPAY!" Taylor shrieked throwing her arms up high above her head. "You're here!"

Sharpay decided to credit the alcohol as the reason for Taylors reaction to her arrival.

"Taylor," she chuckled in slight amusement. "Slow down, girl."

Taylor scoffed and turned back to the picnic table that she was setting up. _'Ok, maybe it wasn't the alcohol that was making her friendly. But if it wasn't alcohol then what-'_

"Chad, sweetie! Over here!" Taylor called out loudly and waiving frantically.

"Oh my God, it can't be," Sharpay gasped, turning to see who Taylor was waiving at. Sure enough, Chad Danforth had joined Troy and they were both ambling into the campsite, lugging what appeared to be an ice-laden cooler between the two of them.

Sharpay immediately stomped over to Chad. "_Taylor_ is your new girl?!" she exclaimed, refusing to believe its truth. "I thought you said you'd met somebody nice."

Chad ignored her last comment as he was too busy grinning at his girl. "You know, she's nothing like you described her. Maybe you should give her another chance. Then the four of us could double!" he said with the same grin still in place.

"If you're including Taylor in that 'four of us' then absolutely not. And if you're including Troy in that 'four of us' then definitely absolutely not." And with an exasperated growl, Sharpay turned on her heal and stomped back over to where Zeke was still trying to figure out what was going on. She grabbed onto his elbow and steered him to the other end of the camp site in order to create some privacy. Or at least a little distance.

It wasn't long until the food was cooking and the general conversation relaxed into a gentle hum about school systems and sports figures and dream vacation spots. Zeke had somehow wiggled away from her and was now talking to Mr. Fulton, which did not do much to calm Sharpay's nerves. Glancing at her watch, she decided that they had been there long enough to legitimately excuse themselves from participating in the rest of the evenings planned events. Now she just had to get Zeke away from her boss.

Getting up, she cautiously approached the two who appeared to be in the middle of a very animated debate when Sharpay's attention was caught by another conversation.

"We just need one more player to fill out the teams. How about Sharpay?"

"Sounds good, where is she?"

"Over there by Fulton. Hey SHARPAY! Get you're skinny white ass over here!"

'_Crap.'_

Sharpay looked over and saw among a few of her coworkers were also Troy, Chad and Taylor all standing in the volleyball pit and all waiving her over.

"Actually, uh," she thought frantically for an excuse to get out of this. "Zeke really needs to get back to his restaurant and–"

"No I don't," Zeke interupted. "You go ahead, I've got my sous chef on shift tonight."

'_Double crap.'_

Plastering on a smile, Sharpay approached the volunteer volleyball players with reluctance and took her shoes off so as not to get them sandy.

"Just one game," she said through gritted teeth. But, as the saying goes, you should always be careful what you wish for and Sharpay, at that moment, was wishing that she didn't have to play this God-awful game. So, Taylor took the ball and approached the back line. She set herself and called out the score. She surveyed the opposing team in what Sharpay was sure was supposed to be an intimidating glare. Then she threw the ball high into the air and, just as it was coming down, smacked it with such force it came barreling across the court, over the net and right at Sharpay's–

* * *

Blue sky. That's all Sharpay could see.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice said next to her. A voice that sounded strangely familiar. Sharpay slowly turned her head and saw Troy lying down next to her. He was watching her, concern etched across his face.

There were a few beats of silence. But not like the silence at the grocery store. No, this was a comfortable silence. A pleasant silence. In fact, if Sharpay didn't know better, she'd think she was enjoying this silence.

"Troy?" she finally said, breaking the unsettlingly comfortable silence. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

"Why are we lying in the middle of the volleyball court?"

"Taylor's serve knocked you unconscious so I lied down next to you so everyone would think we were just sunbathing."

Sharpay stared at him for a moment but quickly broke out into hysterical laughter. Troy promptly joined in her hilarity, unable to hold his serious expression with the sound of her mirth.

After a couple minutes, they calmed down and again fell into a comfortable quiet, simply enjoying each others presence.

"Hey, Sharpay. Can I tell you something?" Troy at last asked soberly, yet again breaking their silence. Sharpay shrugged. "I just wanted to say that I've never once stopped loving you. And I know this sounds tired and clichéd but I didn't realize how much I needed you until I lost you. I know I've been annoying you by popping up everywhere and if you can honestly tell me that you never want to see me again then I promise I will walk away. I will leave right now and I will never bother you again. But if you think there is even the slightest chance that you want to give us another try then I'm not going to give up fighting." Troy paused, staring at Sharpay's fixed expression. He knew that look. That was the look she put on her face when she didn't know how to express her emotions. "So, um, what do you say?" His confidence was hastily waning and he was starting to regret opening his mouth at all.

Sharpay sighed. "I don't know, Troy. I mean, what makes you think it will be any different this time?"

"Because we're different! We're one relationship smarter. We're one break-up tougher. We know what we would have done differently, we know what we did wrong. We won't be going into it blind this time! And how can you deny the feelings we still have? Come on, Sharpay. I know I'm not perfect but I'm still in love with you." He said the last part softly and with such emotion it instantly and involuntarily brought tears to Sharpay's eyes.

Turning her head to finally meet Troy's fervent gaze, Sharpay allowed one tear to slip unsolicited down her cheek. She took a moment to stare into his eyes, searching for what he was talking about. And there it was. All the love, all the passion, all the fire was burning brightly in his brilliant blue eyes. Sharpay smiled slightly and Troy's heart rose as he returned the smile, hope soaring throughout his entire being. Remaining silent, half afraid her voice wouldn't work if she tried to use it, she reached down to grab hold of Troy's hand within her own. She brought it up to clasp it near her heart as she leaned in the few more inches, her eyes closed firmly shut, until her lips met his in a soft kiss. Pulling back ever so slightly, she whispered a soft "Ok," before she leaned in for another kiss, this one deepening much faster. Troy slowly rolled her onto her back with one hand behind her neck as he ran his tongue over her lips. Sharpay opened her mouth just slightly as she squirmed from the butterflies that erupted in the pit of her stomach every time he touched her and she smiled happily into the kiss.

But before anything more could happen, the luck of the universe decided to play another joke on Sharpay and the blaring of a cell phone ringer startled the two back to reality and out of each other's arms. Troy laughed as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his ringing phone. "Give me one second," he whispered, giving Sharpay a quick peck on the lips before getting up to answer his phone.

Sharpay smiled and nodded, watching him walk away and hugging her knees close to her chest as she replayed the past few minutes in her mind.

* * *

Troy looked at the caller id. Gabriella. _'This can't be good,'_ he though with an eye roll and an exasperated sigh. He made sure to be out of hearing distance before he answered the call in a harsh whisper.

"What?"

"Troy," Gabriella gasped in between what sounded like sobs. "I think we need to talk."

"No, Gabby. I told you, we're done. Get over it! Now, I have to go so, please, stop calling m–"

"I'm pregnant, Troy."

Troy froze. "You're what?"

"And it's yours."

**

* * *

**

Uh oh! I hate when the wrong girl gets pregnant!

**Guess what? We've just got one more chapter to go! Can you believe it?!**

**Well, whether you can or not, let me know in the review, please!**


	7. Inner Strength

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical**

* * *

Inner Strength

"You foul, evil, nasty little bitch!"

Sharpay started out of her careful examination of all the available sliced cheeses (_'The recipe calls for Cheddar but the Colby's on sale,'_) at the sound of her grocery cart being slammed into the nearby refrigerating unit. Along with the other cheese contemplating patrons, Sharpay looked up in alarm to see who would cause such a scene and why on Earth they had picked Sharpay's cart to send decimating the store display cases.

"You ugly, conniving, man stealing whore!!"

Sharpay's stomach clenched when she finally saw who was shrieking but her disciplined acting practice allowed her to keep her face pleasantly composed. "Oh, hello Gabriella."

"Oh no, don't you 'Oh, hello Gabriella' me!" She spat, raising her voice to a squeak in a mocking imitation of Sharpay's greeting.

Sharpay sighed. "Fine then, what would you have me say? Hey there you big fat cow?" She heard a woman behind the bread rack give a subdued 'guffaw' at this comment as Gabriella sucked in a shocked gasp. Sharpay kept her voice as pleasant as ever but the venom was blaring in her eyes and she readied herself to stand her ground.

"How dare you?" Gabriella gasped, as though she herself hadn't just been firing insults as if they were pieces of potato in a fully loaded, ready to fire potato gun.

"No!" Sharpay bit back, interrupting Gabriella from any further comment. "No, you know perfectly well you and I are not to be talking. Your little _issue_ is between you and Troy. I don't want to have anything to do with you." Sharpay turned and refocused her attention on the cheeses, actively searching for the Colby again.

"My issue?" Gabriella laughed. "Do you really think that Troy is going to abandon his child? Do you really think that he is going to still be with you in a few months time when this thing has squeezed itself out of my vagina and starts screaming at the top of its lungs for its daddy? How is that not your problem?"

Without turning to look at her rival, mostly for fear of showing her insecurities in her face, Sharpay calmly replied, "That right there is a different issue entirely. And that issue is between _me_ and Troy. It does not involve you, therefore I will not be discussing the matter with you. Now, if you truly want to get this thing resolved, why don't you cooperate with any of Troy's requests and leave me alone?" With that Sharpay grabbed her cheese and walked away hoping that Gabriella wouldn't follow.

She wasn't so lucky.

With her heals clicking away, Gabriella scampered after Sharpay. Catching up to her in the checkout aisle, she leaned over and whispered menacingly in her ear, "You think you're different from me, but let me tell you something. You and me? We're the same. Which means that I have no problem doing whatever it takes to get rid of you. And when I say whatever it takes, trust me, I mean it." And with a meaningful look, Gabriella slowly backed up and walked away leaving Sharpay in line nursing a racing heart.

* * *

"No! No, no. No. Gabby, will you just listen to me?" Troy pleaded pathetically into the phone.

Sharpay looked up from her coffee to where Troy was sitting on the couch. His back was too her but she knew his face was currently contorted into a frustrated combination of gloom and irritation. She blew on her coffee lightly, pretending not to listen in on his conversation though she made no move to leave.

"No, I don't think I'm being unreasonable, I just want to take a paternity test before we make any other rash decisions….no that isn't supposed to be a slight on your private life….I don't think you understand, Gabby, even if that child is mine, I'm not getting back together with you. In fact, I believe we'll be having a pretty hefty custody battle, if that really is the case…..No, I said _if _the child is mine….YES, I'm still with Sharpay! What does that have anything to do….No! No, no, no, Gabby! Have you heard anything I've been saying?..."

Troy sighed in exasperation and stood to begin pacing the room, once more. Sharpay smiled to herself, proud of Troy's strength. Slowly, careful not to spill her coffee, Sharpay returned to the bedroom and closed the door quietly behind her, leaving Troy to finish battling this out with Gabriella.

* * *

'_You've reached the automated voice message system of…_Sharpay Evans_…Please leave your name, number and a brief message after the beep. Thank you…_

_Sharpay, you should have answered your phone. If you know what is best for yourself, you will stop putting stupid, selfish, abhorrent idea's into our little Troysie's head. I know you are the mastermind behind this paternity test thing and I'm not going to stand for it. If you still want your face to be pretty for the camera's, I suggest you stop talking to him. Oh yeah, and one more thing, I hear you and Troy want to raise my baby. Well, let me tell you, if that in any way turns out to be the case, then I promise you, there will be no baby for you to raise.'_

* * *

Troy sat in appalled silence after listening to the message left by Gabriella. Sharpay watched his reaction expectantly, but he didn't say anything. He just sat in stony contemplation, his brows furrowed and his arms crossed. Then, all at once, his entire demeanor changed. He leaned forward eagerly, his elbows on the table, his hands grasping Sharpay's as his features pleaded with her.

"God, Sharpay. I am _so_ sorry," he implored. "I never meant to drag you into this. I mean, _Jesus_," he sighed to himself and, letting go of her hands, dropped his head into his outstretched arms in defeat, "I completely understand if you want to just pack your things and leave me. You should not have to deal with this."

Sharpay, smiling a sad smile and placing a comforting hand on Troy's shoulder, softly replied, "I already made my decision a long time ago. I'm afraid you're stuck with me." Troy's head shot out of his arms and he looked up in surprise. "But for the mean time," Sharpay continued, making an effort to sound stern, causing Troy's elation to quickly slip from his face, "you, sir, have to buck up and learn to take the heat! Because if we're going to win a custody battle, we'll need some tougher skin and a really good defense. Of course, I have a sneaking suspicion this message might possibly work to our advantage."

"But, Sharpay, this is a human life we'll be responsible for. It's something bigger than us and our stupid bickering. It will make us a true family."

"And don't you think we'll make a gorgeous family? Look, Troy, even though this baby isn't mine, I promise you I'll love it with all my heart. It deserves a stable home and a caring family and parents who don't threaten to kill it just to get what they want. And I'm pretty sure we can provide that."

"But–"

"We _need_ to provide that."

"I–"

"And this way, I won't have any stretch marks!"

Reluctantly, Troy allowed himself to chuckle quietly. Finally giving up his dispute, he nodded, breathing in a visible sigh of relief. Leaning forward, he gave Sharpay a soft kiss and whispered, "Thank you," before collapsing back in his chair with the heavy air of one who's been beleaguered to his breaking point.

Sharpay nodded, still watching Troy intently. Then, in almost an accusatory tone, she said, "But, seriously, Troy? That girl is insane." Troy laughed. "No, I mean that girl is, like, clinically insane."

Troy met Sharpay's intense gaze with weary eyes. "Yeah," he said with a sigh. "That surprised me, too."

* * *

Troy opened his eyes suddenly as if a sharp noise had woken him up. He lay still and listened into the darkness, wondering what it could have been. But the seconds quickly ticked by and the only noise he heard was Sharpay's shallow breathing right beside him. He looked over at her lovingly as she slept, her mouth slightly open, her arm thrown at an odd angle above her head. Forcibly releasing the tension that had been building up in his shoulders, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep before he had to go to work.

_Buzz. Buzz._

Troy's heart sank into his stomach, a ubiquitous sense of foreboding clouding his thoughts and weighing on his chest, constricting his once normal breathing. He opened one eye and looked over onto the night stand where his phone was positioned in front of Ryan's portrait, next to the alarm clock with its green numbers persistently announcing the time. The main screen on the phone was lit up bright and the alert light on top was flashing urgently. Troy watched it dance across the table from the ringer's intense vibrations. The tension in Troy's shoulders immediately assaulted him once more and the recently relentless pinch in his neck made itself known. Troy winced slightly at this sudden barrage of pain.

With a heavy sigh he carefully sat up and pushed the blankets away being sure not to disturb Sharpay out of her still peaceful sleep. He grabbed the phone off of the nightstand, silencing it as he did so, and hastily stumbled into the living room, carefully closing the bedroom door behind him, before answering the phone.

"Gabby, why are you calling me so late?" he hissed into the receiver.

But instead of hearing words, he could only make out the short, harsh gasps of air from someone unable to control their breathing for crying. Troy sank down into the couch, his heart sinking even lower than it already was.

"Gabriella?"

"Troy?" She sobbed. "So-something's wr-wrong."

"With the baby?!" He asked, alarm and worry washing through him in thick, unbridled waves.

"Pl-please, help." And with that, she broke down into a fresh onslaught of tears.

Troy's pulse hammered in his temples, his hands shook uncontrollably. He couldn't see straight and his mind created a constant torrent of worst case scenarios – car accident, alcohol consumption, miscarriage – all admittedly detrimental to the baby.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked in response to Troy's silence.

"Oh, right! Where are you? I'll be right there!"

Troy ran to the front door, yanked on his boots, grabbed the keys and sprinted down the apartment complex hallway, all while Gabriella slowly managed to choke out which hotel she was staying at. Just inches away from a full blown panic, Troy hung up the phone in order to fully focus his remaining attention on his driving.

'_Speed limit, ten and two, Renaissance hotel, speed limit, ten and two, Renaissance hotel…'_

In an effort to stay calm, and to keep his mind off of what could possibly have gone wrong, Troy created a sort of tribal chant in his head to keep himself safe and on track.

'…_speed limit, ten and two, Renaissance hotel…'_

With hardly any recollection of his stressful drive to Gabriella's hotel, Troy didn't stop his methodical chanting in his head until his hand firmly knocked upon the cold, heavy door. He stood stock still, breathing heavily as he anxiously awaited the door to be opened. He sensed the apprehension that had popped up when he first opened his eyes and had been lurking just beneath the surface ever since. As he was waiting in the overwhelmingly silent hallway, he could feel this unease still congealed thickly in the pit of his stomach. And with it came his fear for the baby, forcing its way to the front of his mind where he became all too aware of how long he'd been waiting for Gabriella to open the door.

Unable to stop himself, Troy pounded heavily on the door with the heal of his hand, the panic rising like bile in his throat. "Gabriella! Open the door!"

Finally, Troy heard the latch to the door snap and saw the handle slowly turned. The door opened a crack but Troy was too anxious to wait any longer. He grabbed hold of the handle in one hand and pushed fiercely with his other to barrel his way into the room. Surprised, Gabriella gave a squeak but quickly moved aside to let him in, closing and bolting the door behind her.

"Gabriella, for God's sake, what's wrong?" Troy asked, his voice rising despite himself. He searched her face but was completely thrown by what he saw. There were no traces of tears, her make-up was perfectly done, the mascara both in tact and dry. Her eye's weren't blood-shot or weary. In fact, she'd rarely looked better. Her features were serene, her expression dreamy.

"Gabriella?" Troy asked, still nervous, but no longer for the baby.

"Thank you for coming so quickly."

Troy looked furtively around the room. The heavy, flowery-fabric curtains were drawn and only one lamp was on, casting the room in overbearing shadows. The bed was perfectly made and not one personal item or piece of luggage could be found within the small space. It was as though Gabriella hadn't actually been living in this room for the past few weeks.

"Please, sit." Gabriella trilled in her adolescent voice as she indicated the desk chair that was set out in front of the television. Troy sat, entranced by Gabriella's tranquility though slightly aware of his rapidly beating heart.

"I've been giving our situation a lot of thought lately. It is quite a difficult position that you have put me in and I wanted to be sure to handle it properly."

Gabriella started to pace up and down the small entryway, never turning her back on Troy. This was the first time Troy noticed that she had somehow squeezed her undoubtedly swollen feet into stiletto pumps. She moved slowly, carefully, keeping a fervent gaze on Troy's face, with one hand resting naturally on her swollen belly and the other on her lower back, balancing her front-heavy frame and taking some of the strain off of her spine.

"You see, Troy, I want you back. But I can see that you aren't willing to leave that twig, and that's just not going to work for me. So, and I truly regret this, but I feel there is only one option left for us."

Gabriella stopped pacing and Troy registered a malicious gleam in her eye. Thoughts were racing through his head, appearing only long enough to be recognized before disappearing with a new image to take its place. Sharpay laughing happily, his clean, comfortable apartment, his mahogany work desk, his close group of friends, all the things that he loves most.

Troy's blood flowed fast and hot in anticipation for what was to happen next. He jumped out of the chair just as Gabriella whipped her hand out from behind her back and, this time with real tears, whispered, "Goodbye Troy," as she pulled the trigger on a Jericho 941 F nine millimeter handgun.

Lunging forward, Troy gasped as a very angry mouth bit into his chest knocking him back a couple of steps and chewing up his insides. He felt the blood drain rapidly from his face, instantly making him sick as his lung burned like a blazing fire. Looking down he saw his shirt dripping with blood and it took him a moment to realize that it was dripping with _his_ blood. He dropped to his knee, gasping for a breath that refused to come, his vision rapidly going dark. He had only one word left on his lips.

* * *

"_Sharpay"_

_Sharpay woke at the sound of her name. Looking up, she saw Troy sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling down at her. "Morning love."_

_Sharpay smiled. "Troy, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"_

"_Oh, I'll be leaving in a little bit. I just needed to let you know that I love you. I love you with all my heart."_

_Sharpay furrowed her brows accusingly. "Troy? What's going on? Why do you look so sad?"_

_But Troy didn't respond. He stood, gave her one last, intense gaze, and walked out of the room. Sharpay watched as he slowly closed the door, leaving her in darkness._

"_Sharpay"_

Sharpay jerked awake, sitting up straight in bed, her heart racing and her mind reeling.

"Troy?" She was sure he had called her name. She looked over and saw that the bed was empty, the sheets in a tangled mess. "Troy?" Looking at the clock, Sharpay saw that it was still early. He couldn't possibly have gone into work yet. Sharpay sat in the silent darkness for a few more minutes, waiting for her breathing to return to normal and her heart to stop pounding. But her nerves were too on edge with the faint memory of a dream lingering somewhere beneath her consciousness. A dream that was now causing her stomach to clench in a menacing unease.

Sharpay stood quickly and grabbed her robe that she had thrown haphazardly across her armchair the previous night, wrapping it tightly, comfortingly around her. Putting on her fluffy slippers, she padded silently into the darkened living room, listening for any sound of life, absentmindedly noting that Troy's boots were no longer sitting by the front door. Sharpay's stomach gave another lurch and she ran into the empty bathroom to spill its little remaining contents. This had lately become an unusually frequentl act, though tonight it seemed to be much more significant.

Breathing deeply, Sharpay wiped off the light film of sweat that had gathered on her forehead and hastily brushed her teeth, eager to rid her mouth of that horrid taste. Then, stepping back into the living room, she shuffled over to the couch and sat down uneasily, negative thoughts racing through her head.

Hoping to find some comfort in mindless noise, Sharpay reached for the nearby remote that was lying next to Troy's mug of unfinished tea and flipped on the television.

'_The gunman, or gunwoman I should say, was taken into custody just about ten minutes ago. Guests in the room next to this Gabriella Montez had called the authorities immediately after hearing the gunshot. She was found sitting on the bed, near the body of the victim, with a fake five-month pregnancy belly placed next to her. No other object was in the room. Authorities are still looking for the weapon._

Sharpay looked up in alarm to see a news reporter standing in front of the Renaissance hotel. The flashing lights of police cars and ambulances could be seen reflecting off of the face of the building and there was a barricade of people, all still in their night clothes, watching as the police set up caution tape all around the entrance.

'_The victim of this fatal shooting has been identified as,'_ the reporter paused to look at her notes, _'Troy Nathaniel Bolton. His body has been taken to St. Mary's Medical Center. St. Mary's has asked for a close relation of Mr. Bolton's to formally identify the body…'_

Sharpay sucked in a harsh breath. She continued to stare at the screen in a sort of trance but she could no longer hear the reporter. A deep, powerful sense of despair had quickly filled her, penetrating to her very soul and momentarily crippling her senses. This was a sadness that was so deep she would never truly be able to get rid of it, instead having to learn to survive every day, feeling its effects.

But something else had managed to creep in, along with the despair. Something that only a minute portion of her mind was currently aware of but would later show itself to be the one thing to save her. Something she hadn't possessed with Ryan's death, something she hadn't needed when he was around. It was a strength. A strength more powerful than any despair. A strength that she knew would pull her through this, not allowing her to spiral into a self-destructive pit of depression. A strength that had previously belonged to both Ryan and Troy, but which now she alone possessed.

Sharpay stared at the moving screen, seeing only colors and shapes, not comprehending any of the objects. She heard nothing but a muffled buzzing in her ears, her stomach slowly churning in an upset manner. But with this new inner strength, Sharpay soothingly rubbed her tense lower abdomen, muttering consolingly, "I think it's just you and me, now."

**

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I'm so sorry this took me forever to get out. I wanted to make sure it was perfect because it is both the end of the story and a very emotional chapter.

**I really appreciate everybody who read and enjoyed my story. Please leave me one final review! If you are an end of story reviewer, here's your shot. I love any and every comment I receive!**

**Thanks so much everyone!**


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